arts&eatertainment m 0 S i e r e Everyt 'answa Want Two feels a bit like Rufus Wainwright vamping until his next album-but the enclosed concert DVD is a must for devotees of the out troubadour By Michael Giltz ""amtwo{~t)-QyqcelJ1ti() IIRufusWainwright.Dr~am .M II1II $21.95 Elton John has called Rufus Wainwright an "as-yet unheraldĀ ed American treasure," and one imagines Wainwright would reĀ spond, with the casual confiĀ dence he exudes, "Quite true." Treasure? Yes.</p><p> But unheralded? His near-perfect 2003 album, Want One, was hailed by critics, hitting number 12 on The Village Voice's anĀ nual Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.</p><p> Wainwright has a small role in Martin Scorsese's Oscar hopeĀ ful The Aviator.</p><p> And deĀ spite upheavals at his record label, Wainwright has just released this CD-DVD combo.</p><p> It's more than a collection of odds and ends from the Want sessions but less than a proper follow-up to that CD.</p><p> We've been told it's the "weird" stuff, but since Want One was already pretty darn eccentric, that doesn't prove quite true.</p><p> Sure, the opener, "Agnus Dei," is a lovely Latin choral hymn, and the closĀ er, "An Old Whore's Diet" (a duet with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons), is an almost nine-minute wig-out.</p><p> But alĀ most everything here would have sounded right at home on Want One.</p><p> The witty "Little SisĀ ter," "The Art Teacher" (a lovely man who is the protagonist's faĀ vorite work of art), and concert favorite "Gay Messiah" are among the strongest tracks here.</p><p> But they didn't belong, either thematically or musically, on that earlier album, which is more upĀ beat than this mellow affair.</p><p> Wainwright knows the importance of creating an album that flows, that takes you someĀ where.</p><p> He produced a double album's worth of music, but Want One is stronger for not including them all.</p><p> And Want Two is fine for fans who can't wait for his next magnum opus.</p><p> What makes this truly worthwhile, however, is the concert DVD.</p><p> It has 90 minutes of Wainwright performing at THE ADVOCATE 192 I NOVEMBER 23, 2004 the Fillmore Auditorium, interspersed with brief segments of him wandering through San Francisco.</p><p> He's in fine form, and the show is mercifully free of frenetic editing and quick cuts.</p><p> You know Wainwright is in full conĀ trol when he segues from the rousing "I Don't Know What It Is" to the quiet, wrenching "Dinner at Eight," and the crowd remains in the palm of his hand.</p><p> His openhearted performance-so selfĀ dramatizing, so self-aware, so funny when it isn't moving-can't help but bring to mind another drama queen, Judy Garland.</p><p> Surely it's only a matter of time before Wainwright's gorgeous voice tackles the standards .ā¢ Giltz is a regular contributor to several periodicals, including the New York Post.
